Bowflex MAX Trainer Reviews - Details, Models, Features, Pros and Cons

Couldn't be happier, fast shipping and really easy to assemble. I run but this thing really works you. I have finally made it up to 12 minutes but it's a struggle. Ill keep pressing, easy on the joints so you don't have to worry about pain. Make sure to check the bolts to make sure they don't come loose, maybe Bowflex should consider a small tube of Loctite. Other than that, I'm looking forward to getting in shape.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I'm a 55 year old female not in peak form, and I have 20 lbs to lose. I've just had my Max5 for a week, and so far I love it.

I received it five days after ordering (could not believe that), and I put it together BY MYSELF people, in under two hours! I'm a 5'4", 140lbs banker, and tools are in no way my forte, but it wasn't hard, or that heavy, and I just used a bit of female ingenuity to get the unit into the base. The thought of someone paying $250 to have it done is ludicrous.

So far I love the flexibility of the programmed workouts, but have yet to figure out the best workout with the highest calorie burn. I don't seem to be burning 2.5X more than when I'm on my elliptical. I tend to track heart rate and calories burned via my Fitbit, and I'm hoping it's more accurate because it reads a higher calorie burn.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I own a TreadClimber and it's good. But wanted something more engaging and challenging and this is it. My husband is in great shape, motor lifting mechanic. I am not in great shape. Sad/Bad for a RN. It takes me a few breaks to get finished with 14-minute interval. And even his first couple of times he needed to take a break.

Bottom line: there aren't any shipping delays. I ordered the Max Trainer on 7/19 and was delivered on Friday, July 24th. We put it together and it was not hard for us. And I believe if a person uses the machine in consistently and with some dietary changes, even if it's just for 14 minutes for three days each week, you will tone up and lose weight. I feel my abs, buttocks, thighs, arms. Wow. This thing is awesome. I have never been so excited to workout. Mot much strain on my knees either like with the TreadClimber. This thing is well worth the money.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Well I have had the M7 for almost three weeks and I still do not have matching handlebars. First they sent a new left side bar, then two handlebar assemblies, and now I am waiting on a new right side handlebar. Meanwhile a couple days ago my M7 started making a thumping noise and yesterday started squeaking. The concept of this machine is great if they could manufacture matching parts. Also the heart monitor is not very accurate when it does engage with machine.

Looks like I will return it. It's just too loud for a house with the thumping and squeaking, even if I had matching handlebars.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

As far as training goes, it does everything it says it does. However, we have had problems with our machine. Noisy and grinding sounds that cannot be fixed. We called Bowflex and paid $140 to have someone come out and assess, and well, that person was useless; was not able to fix the problem and said we needed a new part that would cost about $600 to repair. We are literally two months out of warranty. The machine needs to be junked, which means I have to pay to have it taken away. Customer service is terrible, they just read off of a script, when you call and the moment it gets difficult for them, they defer you to a third party for resolution. Cheaply made product, RUN!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

To start with, I found an online coupon that took $100 off of my order so my shipping was essentially free. They said it would be 30-45 days for delivery, I received it in 5 days. I put my M3 together in less than an hour so I am really glad I didn't pay for their assembly. It was really very easy. I am definitely having to work up to doing a full workout. I have had knee and ankle surgery and have no problems at all using the Max Trainer (other than me being badly out of shape). The small footprint is perfect for our living room. I would highly recommend this equipment. We figured it up and will have it paid off by just paying what we were paying for a membership to a gym that we never had time to get to. Having the Bowflex Max Trainer at home has already made a huge difference even in our 12 year old daughter who loves working out on the machine!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

We ordered our machine and received it in great time. We paid for the set up, however, the tech left town for a vacation and was unable to assemble the machine for us. I contacted Bowflex and they refunded my credit card. My wife and I assembled the machine last night, and I used it this morning. It was a great workout! More intense than I think a lot of people are expecting. However, my wife came home from work tonight and was excited for her first session. The squeaking was unbelievable. We have a big house. I thought an animal was scratching at the back door. We are hoping this will be resolved as it appears some customers have had the squeak just go away. Funny as when I ordered the machine, I asked the sales rep on the phone about the squeak complaints. She said the problem has been resolved and there was an issue at the plant with proper lubrication. I'm not a huge fan of B.S. or being fed a line to get my 1,500.00. Wish us luck.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I'm 75 years young. I had an elliptical for the past eight years and I could work out on it for an hour or more. I wanted a change, so I purchased the Bowflex M3 Trainer.

I had it now for a month. I couldn't get past five minutes the first week. Wow. But after two weeks I now run through the Max twice a day, at the max setting of 14 minutes, and I really like it. I did get a squeaking sound after the second week, but I used my vacuum to blow it out and little bits of form came out of it was from the packing in the box. The squeaking is gone.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

My wife and I purchased the M7 model almost two weeks ago. We have been using it every day, however since we are so out of shape we are starting out slow and only doing a 7 minute session and add time as we feel fit. Just using the 7 minute session we have lost weight, but we have changed our diet as well. You cannot lose weight by exercise alone. I am hoping to move up to the 14 minute session within three weeks, if not four. I use the app and love the fact that it shows my progress daily. My Calories Burned increases daily and that pumps me up. Seeing my improvement makes me want to do more and more each time.

The assembly of this unit is very easy. I currently came off a surgery for a broken collar bone (still had the staples in) and built it by myself in an hour and a half. The instructions are very well laid out. The nuts, bolts and washers are well labeled in the packaging.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone. But remember if you do not change your diet it will be hard to lose the weight.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I purchased the M6 on the Thanksgiving sale - I did the assembly myself, and I think most people could put it together.

I am male, 58, 5'11, about 195 lbs.

Overall, I really like the machine. I have set a goal to work out every day for the 14 minutes as advertised. I downloaded the app and I have had done about 25 consecutive days now, and a total of about 30 sessions in the past 6 weeks. So pretty much every day.

I started off with limited resistance and now I do the 14 minutes with level 14 resistance. Its a really tough workout and it takes at least 30 mins to cool down completely. Heart rate peaks around 140.

The results are interesting, I feel really good from an aerobic standpoint - lots of energy, clear thinking, never out of breath, better sleep, tighter butt...so there is an immediate impact on those areas.

However, I have had no weight change at all. In fact, I have put a few pounds on. (Note: this was also Xmas period.)

My app says I am burning an extra 1800 calories a week doing the workouts. Each workout burns about 275 calories for me. With that, I would have expected some change in weight.

Obviously, what you eat has a much bigger impact on your weight than the exercise benefit on this machine. I am going to continue doing it as long as I can and see if the weight changes.

As a reference, I am not particularly overweight, but I was hoping to tone up and lose a few pounds around the middle.

I have had no injuries or pain from using the machine. My knees are too fragile to allow me to run or jog, so this machine is ideal. No shoulder pain or any negatives from using the machine.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

The very first thing that you should know about these is that it feels like you're almost squatting while you run. I'm 6 feet 255lbs coming off knee surgery (hence massive weight gain, my ideal is 185) and the front of my thighs were definitely burning just from a couple of quick spins for 30 seconds. It made me think of doing steps. Well not as intense as a stepper it's certainly feels like I'm not upright fully and my knee ached a little, but it is soft enough to not reinjure. The faster you go, the less you notice.

The noise is not that bad unless you are really sprinting. The app is interesting and resetting user profiles is not easy.

I am a former employee of a well know fitness company and will follow up with one of their programs after a few months with the M5. This device is a good way to get ready for something like those.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend